


First Night

by botanicalTJ



Series: Comfort in Chaos [2]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Father Figures, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Homesickness, Hurt/Comfort, Season/Series 01
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:27:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28419843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/botanicalTJ/pseuds/botanicalTJ
Summary: The first night away from home is always the hardest. Luckily, Merlin isn't alone.(Repost, originally part of Comfortember 2020)
Relationships: Gaius & Merlin (Merlin)
Series: Comfort in Chaos [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2081529
Kudos: 17
Collections: Comfortember 2020





	First Night

Merlin hadn't expected the castle to be so quiet after dusk. That much would take some getting used to. His home in Ealdor had never been this silent, with the bustle of the village continuing hours into the night right outside his window. He'd expected the castle to be the same, with so many people traipsing up and down those long corridors that he'd already gotten lost in once today. But it was silent, so silent he could lean against the windowsill and hear nothing but his own breathing and the simmering of one of Gaius's elixirs over the fire in the other room. Maybe the great stone walls soaked up all sounds of life and that's why he felt so terribly lonely in his brand new room. 

He'd never had his own room before. The servant's rooms were drab compared to the royal family's personal chambers, but his alcove off of the physician's quarters was more luxury than he'd ever had before. He wondered how his mother was doing back home, if she was as restless as him sleeping alone for the first time since before he was born. He'd tossed and turned for awhile on new sheets with a new pillow and new blankets pulled over him, but it was no use trying to pretend like he wasn't homesick. 

"Merlin, are you alright?"

He jumped at the abruptness of the voice. He'd forgotten Gaius was there, had assumed the old man was asleep at this hour. He turned to face his mentor standing in the doorway of his room, and they shared a moment of silence where their eyes locked, and Merlin knew he understood. 

"I brought you a cup of tea." Gaius lifted the chipped teacup to show him, his hands clasped carefully around the base even though it was probably very warm. He climbed the steps to hand it over and Merlin took it with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "It has a touch of valerian root, to help you sleep."

Merlin sipped the tea moreso to be polite; his mother's fresh chamomile had always been his preference, and he wished he'd had the sense to bring some along. But the tea in his hands wasn't bad by any means, once it touched his tongue. The strength of the valerian root was subsided by a touch of sweetness, and it made his chest feel warm to know that Gaius had thought to drop some sugar in with it for his tastes. 

He looked out the window again, holding the steaming teacup close to his body. "I've never been away from home before now," he admitted, the words falling loose from his lips despite how childish they made him sound. "Not even for a trip."

Gaius placed a steady hand on his shoulder, making him turn again. "This will become your home soon enough," he assured in that quiet, delicate tone that Merlin found himself easily comforted by. "It isn't easy to grow up and leave the nest, but it's what we all must do one time or another."

"Unless you're Prince Arthur." Merlin cracked a grin at him, stepping away from the window and back towards his bed. He swallowed another mouthful of tea, then another, then he handed the cup back to Gaius. It was already having its intended effect, it seemed, because his eyes were starting to feel heavy just standing there.

"I suppose his highness won't exactly have the same experience," Gaius agreed, watching Merlin sit down and settle himself back beneath the covers. "But you may still find something in common with him. He's just a boy, too, you know."

"Sure." Merlin yawned, turning over onto his side to hug his pillow to his chest. "A boy who's never made a bed in his life."

Gaius gave a small, knowing smile, then turned to head for the entryway. "Good night, Merlin," he called over his shoulder, beginning to close the door behind him. "I'll see you bright and early for breakfast."

"G'night, Gaius," Merlin hummed into his pillow, pulling the blanket higher up to protect himself from the slight breeze coming through the window. He drifted off, and the moon lit his sleeping face, the same light cast over his mother in their house in Ealdor.


End file.
